Thera 2.12: Jotidasa
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(132):Jotidasa Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter II. Two Verses =132. Jotidāsa= Reborn in this Buddha-age as the son of a wealthy brahmin(priest), in the Pādiyattha country, he was named Jotidāsa.1 When come of age he saw Kassapa the Great one day going his round for alms, and entertained him in his house, and heard him discourse. On the hill near the village he himself had a great vihara(monastery) built for the Thera, and supplied him with the four requisites. Moved thereafter by the Thera's teaching he left the world(for monkhood), and not long after won the sixfold abhiññā(higher knowledge). After ten years, during which he learnt 120 the three Piṭakas, with special proficiency in the Vinaya-Piṭaka,2 and waited on the fraternity, he set out with many bhikkhus(monks) to salute the Exalted One(Buddha) at Sāvatthī.On the way he entered a theologian's park, and seeing a brahmin(priest) practising the fivefold austerity,3 he asked: 'Why, brahmin(priest), do you not burn otherwise in a different heat?' The brahmin(priest) annoyed, answered: 'Master , shaven headed monk(mundaka), what other heat is there?' The Thera replied: ---- Anger, and envy, and all cruel deeds, And pride, and arrogance, and wanton strife, Craving, and ignorance, and lust of life: These burn away and let your body be!4 ---- and after that taught him the Path(Dhamma). And all those theologians pleaded him for initiation into monkhood. On leaving Sāvatthī he went to his former home, and addressed his relatives in these verses: ---- 143 Ye kho te veghamissena nānatthena ca kammunā|| Manusse uparundhanti pharusūpakkamā janā,|| Tepi tatth'eva kīranti nahi kammaɱ panassati.|| || 144 Yaɱ karoti naro nammaɱ kalyāṇaɱ yadi pāpakaɱ,|| Tassa tassevadāyādo yaɱ yaɱ kammaɱ pakubbatī' ti.|| || ---- 143 They who in many ways by deeds of force And violence,5 rude and rough-mannered folk, Do work their fellow-creatures injury, By that they too themselves are overthrown,6 For never is the effect of action lost. 144 The deed a man did, be it good or bad, To all his doing is he verily the heir. ---- 1 Mahā-Kaseapa lived near Rājagaha (CCLXI), but neither Jotidāsa nor Pādiyattha-jannpada have been met with in other works. 2 Cf. Puṇṇā, who learnt them in a former birth (Sisters, p. 116; again above, LXV.). We may concede thus much to the plausibility of the Commentator's statement-that a threefold body of doctrine would be taking shape during the founder's long ministry. 3 I.e., surrounded by four fires, with the sun beating on him above. 4 I have not traced these lines. 5 On the word veghamissena, etc. (cf. Dialogues, ii. 107, n. 3), the Commentary has: 'Tugging the head, etc., by rein, strap, etc.; blows given by hand, foot, etc.' 6 Kīranti. Dr. Neumann has säen, sow, as if scattering seed. The Commentary ignores any such metaphor, and has: as they have made suffering for others, so by others are they made to suffer - tath'eva aññehi kiriyanti dukkhaɱ pāpīyanti. Cf. ''abhikīranti''in verse 598. ---- =2.2-2 132 Commentary on the stanza of Jotidāsatthera= The stanza starting with ye kho te constitutes that of the venerable Thera Jotidāsa. What is the origin? This one also having done devoted deeds of service toward former Buddhas, accumulating meritorious deeds in this and that existence, was reborn in a family home, at the time of the Blessed One Sukhi. On having attained the age of intelligence, he happened to have seen the Master, one day, who was going about for alms-food, became pious-minded and offered Him Kāsumārikā fruit. On account of that act of merit, he wandered about the rounds of repeated rebirths among divine and human beings and was reborn as the son of a wealthy brahmin family in the district of Padiyattha when this Buddha arose. His name was Jotidāsa. On having attained the age of intelligence, while leading his household life, he happened to have seen, one day, the Thera Mahākassapa wandering about for alms-food, in his own village, became pious-minded, entertained him with nourishment (bhojetvā), listened to the truth (dhamma) in the presence of the Thera, had a large monastery built on a hill near his own village, made the Thera reside there, attended upon him with four recluse’s requisites, aptly gained remorse by means of the teaching of the truth (dhamma) by the Thera, became a monk, did the deed of developing spiritual insight, and became an Arahant, with six sorts of higher-knowledge (abhiññā). Thus, has it been said in the Apadāna. ---- “I saw the stainless (virajaṃ) Buddha, the eldest of men. (lokajeṭṭhaṃ), the bull among men, shining bright (jotantaṃ) resembling kanikāra flower, who was seated amidst mountains (pabbatantare). I became pious-minded and delighted and having made my clasped hands rest on my head, I collected Kāsumārika fruit and offered it to the most excellent Buddha. It was thirty one aeons (kappa) ago, that I then made my offering of fruit; I do not remember any evil existence; this is the fruitful result of fruit offering. My depravity had been burnt; … Buddha’s instruction had been carried out.” Having, however, become an Arahant, with six sorts of higher-knowledge (abhiññā), he took up the learning of the three piṭakas, attained the state of being very clever in the vinaya piṭaka, in particular (visesato), became a ten-year old all-round well-served monk (parisupaṭṭhāko) and proceeded to Sāvatthi along with many monks, to pay homage to the Blessed One; on his way there (antarāmagga) he entered the ashram (ārāmam) of the heretics (titthiya) for the purpose of removing (vinodana) his fatigue from the journeying (addhānaparissama), sat himself down on one side, saw a brahmin practising the five religious austerities (pañcatapaṃ tapantaṃ), and said thus: “O brahmin! When another is shining (tapanīyo) why does another shine? On having heard him, the brahmin, having got angry, said thus:– “O bald-headed! Why should another be shining?” The Thera taught the truth (dhamma) by means of a stanza to him, thus:– “Anger, ill-will and haressing others, pride, quarelling madness (sārambhamado) and negligence, craving (tanhā), avijjā (ignorance) and union (saṅgati) of exis- tence, they are to be burnt (tappanāyā); not, indeed, the physical aggregate (rūpakhandho).” Having heard him, that brahmin and all other heretics in that ashram of heretics became monks in the presence of the Thera. The Thera went to Sāvatthi, together with them, paid his homage to the Blessed One, dwelt there a few days (katipāhaṃ) and went to his own native land (jātibhūmiṃ) even. He spoke two stanzas in order to advise those who were connected with orthodox sacrifice (yaññasuddhike), recipients of varieties of gains (nānāladdhike) among his relatives who had approached him for the purpose of seeing him:– 143. “Those living beings who attack unkindly (pharusūpakkama) break up (uparundhanti) human beings, who constitues other creatures, with mixedwrap (vethamissena) and with many a variety of acts, they also under that self-same circumstance get retribution (kīranti); indeed, an action does not disappear (before reaction does occur).” 244. “Whatever act a man does, whether good or bad; his heritage is but of that type, as and what act he has performed” . There, ye means: indefinite indication (aniyamauddeso). Te is the coming back upon a subject (paṭiniddeso) but from the indefinite (aniyamato). By this word “Jana” there is connection (sambandho) of the two words also. Kho means mere indeclinable particle (nipāta). Vethemissena means: by giving a wrap (vethadānena) at the head and so on, by means of a strip of leather, etc. There is also such a text as “Vedhamissena; the meaning is but that. Nānattena ca kammunā means: with such various kinds of work of unjuring others as striking, slaying, cutting hands and legs, hitting with small stones and so on (khuddakaseḷdānā dinā). Manusse means mere indication (nidassanamatta); therefore, whoever are living creatures; thus, is the significance. Uparumdhanti means: They harm (vibādhenti). Pharusūpakkama means: cruel (dāruna) action (payoga), bloody (kurūra) occupation (kammanta); thus; is the meaning. Janā means: living creatures. Tepi tatth’eva kāranti means those said categories of individuals unjured others by doing deeds of what-so-ever character; tattheva means: in those self-same deeds even they themselves also are made (to suffer) (Kīranti) and are being thrown away (pakkhipiyanti); they suffer miserable pain but in that-like form (tathārūpaṃ); thus, is the meaning. There is such a reading as “Tath’eva kīranti” also; according as they themselves made miserable pain to others, in that manner even they are made (to suffer) by others; they are made to attain painful misery; thus, is the meaning. Why? Na hi kammaṃ panassati means: Indeed, the deed does not disapper without having given the sure and certain (ekanta) conserved (upacitaṃ) consequence (vipākaṃ); the combination (samavāya) of remaining (avasesa) cause (passaya) but brings about its consequence (vipaccate va); thus, is the significance. Now, having concisely (saṅkhepato) classified (vibhajitvā) what has been merely stated (vuttamattaṃ) thus: “Na hi kammaṃ panassati,” he spoke a stanza, starting with “Yaṃ karoti” in order to make manifest the state of one’s own action (kammasakataṃ) of living beings. The meaning of it is --- Yaṃ kammaṃ kalyānaṃ means: good deed; yadi vā pāpakaṃ means: evil deed; karoti means a living-being does; in doing also there, yaṃ kammaṃ means: according as it is capable of giving fruitful result, in that manner pakubhati (he does accumulate). Tassa tass’eva dāyādo means: he is the sharer (bhāgī) of the result (vipāka) that should be given by this and that action (kamma) owing to the taking (ganhana) of the fruition (phala) of this and that action (kamma); thus, is the meaning. Therefore, the Blessed One said thus: “Kammasakā mānave sattā kammadāyādā (O young man! Living beings are possessors of one’s own action (kammasakā) and inheritors (dāyādā) of (the consequences of one’s own) action (kamma)” and so on. On having heard these stanzas, the relatives of the Thera became established in the state of believing in their own action and reaction (kammassakatā). The Commentary on the stanza of the Thera Jotidāsa is complete. ----